Legal terminology "finding"

finding : (sust,) conclusión, hallazgo, resultado.

(noun) a decision by a court or tribunal regarding a question of fact.

"The court's finding was in our favor."

Related terms

finding of fact - a finding of fact is a determination made by the fact finder (usually a judge or a jury) based on the evidence, regarding an issue involving the facts of a case, raised by one party to a case. "The defendant changed his plea to guilty after the court found as a fact that he had been present at the scene of the crime."
findings/conclusions of law- a finding of law is a determination of law reached by the court based on the facts found. "Based on the evidence before it, the court found at law that the company had indeed engaged in anti-competitive practices designed to maintain its monopoly position."

AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION AND TRANSLATION 3-DAY TAPIT MEGA WORKSHOP

If you are interested in translating tapes, CD’s, or other audio media, this is for you !!!



AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION AND TRANSLATION

3-DAY TAPIT MEGA WORKSHOP

Jan 17-18-19, 2009



Belmont University, Nashville, TN



Hands-on practice. Small group - lots of interaction and critique with

Forensic TT Specialist Judith Kenigson Kristy



Approved for 12 FL&3 General CEU credits for TN Certified and Registered Interpreters.



Registrants must attend all 3 days

Go to the TAPIT website (www.tapit.org) for details and registration form.

Feliz Navidad y Venturoso Año Nuevo 2009

¡TRADPROF le desea bendiciones de Nuestro Señor para esta Navidad, el año 2009 y siempre!

"Que busques a Cristo, que encuentres a Cristo, que ames a Cristo. Son tres etapas clarísimas. ¿Has intentado por lo menos, vivir la primera?"
(San Josemaría Escrivá)

Saving money on translators and interpreters.

Saving money on translators and interpreters

In the latest issue of The Linguist, the journal of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, there is a snippet from an article that appeared in the Daily Mirror a few weeks ago concerning the interpreter appointed by Wigan Athletic for their star Egyptian striker, currently with them on loan, Amr Zaki. The football club discovered that the interpreter wasn't up to the job. Not surprising really, as they had appointed him after finding him selling pies on a stall and being told that he was fluent in Arabic.

Wigan Athletic is in the top football league, and players of this calibre earn several hundred thousand pounds a year. Manager Steve Bruce moved to Wigan last year for a reported salary of £3m a year including bonuses, according to an article at the time. The club's hospitality packages start at £1250 per person, and there is a package that costs twice as much (see here). Yet the club didn't see fit to shell out the going rate for a professional interpreter. Incredible!


Stories like this are all too common. Companies that spend a fortune on entertaining clients, and that wouldn't dream of appointing trainee or unqualified accountants or medical staff, think it's perfectly ok to get translations done by someone's daughter, brother-in-law or other willing volunteer. In a document produced by the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, there are some translation horror stories. A US manufacturer of radiation equipment didn't bother to translate instructions into French, assuming that technicians would all be fluent in English; they weren't and some patients died of radiation overdoses. In April 2007 the prime ministers of France and Canada held a memorial service to honour Canadian soldiers who had died in France during the First World War. Journalists spotted that historical plaques put up nearby were riddled with grammar and spelling errors, and it turned out that they had been translated by well-meaning but unqualified volunteers.

Legal terminology "integrated"

integrated

(adjective) to make a whole by bringing parts together, to unify.
"After some time, the new procedures were fully integrated into the work routine."
Synonyms
incorporated: "The new guidelines incorporated the changes in reporting routines."
assimilated: "New reporting procedures assimilated legislative changes into current practices."
Word combinations
integrated agreement - an agreement adopted as a final and complete expression of that which is agreed between 2 parties. "The seller argued that the buyer could not rely on promises not contained in the integrated agreement."
Other use
We also use integrate in the sense of opening something to people of all races or ethnic groups without restriction - to desegregate. "To comply with law, the company took steps to to diversify and integrate the workplace."

Legal terminology "violate"

Violate
(verb) to contravene or go against.
"His actions clearly violate the express terms of the agreement."

Synonyms
breach: "The manufacturer breached the warranty by refusing to repair the car."
contravene: "The company's failure to provide a certified translation of the articles of association contravened the provisions of the Companies Act."

Antonyms
comply: "The company's attorneys carefully reviewed the proposed tender offer to ensure that the company complied with the Securities Act."
obey: "It is vital that you obey the court's order to produce the documents."

Other forms of the word
violation (noun) offence, breach, infringement. "Any violation of the general prohibition against insider trading may lead to a prison sentence of up to six years."

Related words and concepts
infringe (noun) to violate a right. Used especially in the context of a violation of a copyright, patent or trade mark. "The claimant argued that the defendant infringed its copyright by using the software without its consent."

Diferencia y similitud entre "supuesto" y "presunto".

Hi Julio

Thanks for this message.

Can you explain the difference between 'supuesto' and 'presunto'? (En
cualquier idioma.). I recently had to interpret for a meeting to
establish who was the father of a certain child, and the man made a
distinction between 'supuesto' and 'presunto' padre which I could not
understand.

Me ayudaría mucho si pudieras aclararme esto.

Gracias otra vez.

Joe Tein
Friday Harbor, WA USA

Legal terminology "challenge"

Challenge
(verb) to object to; to question the legality of something or the legal qualifications of someone.
"The defendant challenged the qualifications of the expert witness."
Synonym
object: "The plaintiff objected to the witness' testimony on the grounds that it was hearsay."
Other forms of the word
challenge (noun) - objection or question. "The international treaty was not open to challenge in the Supreme Court."
Common phrases
legal challenge - an adversarial proceeding. "The statute was subject to a legal challenge in the district court."
to challenge the law - to bring legal action to have a law repealed. "The Association of Nurses challenged the law which required them to report the immigration status of patients."

Comentario recibido sobre Glosario Jurídico

Estimado Julio César:

desde hace algún tiempo usted me regala sus sugerencias terminológicas por correo electrónico. Le agradezco este gesto amable de compartir conocimientos; creo que se basa en una buena filosofía de colaboración y sentido comunitario y como tal la veo muy positiva.

Sin embargo, desde el punto de vista de la terminología como disciplina que forma parte del trabajo del traductor, creo que se podría optimizar su metodología. Para evaluar bien si un término me sirve o no, como traductor necesito saber de qué fuente, contexto etc. usted lo tiene. Usted lo ha documentado con algunos ejemplos, pero creo que se podría completar este dato para que se pueda usar en la realidad.

Un término bien investigado normalmente lleva
- la fuente (dónde lo encontró? Normalmente alguna base de datos o algún diccionario - se pone la referencia bibliográfica)
- la definición en ambos idiomas (sólo si ambas definiciones tienen exactamente el mismo contenido el término se puede considerar equivalente en ambos idiomas)
- la fuente de la definición (diccionario, código legal, base de datos de terminología, ... - se pone la referencia bibliográfica.)
- el contexto (usted cita algunos ejemplos de contexto abajo)
- otra información adicional, por ej., sobre registros variacionales (por ej., coloquial, rebuscado, técnico, etc.), en qué área se usa (por ej. derecho penal), información gramatical, etc.

Si trabaja con MultiTerm puede ver que el machote para una base de datos de terminología le ofrece todos estos campos para llenarlos con la información. Si compara con bases de datos de terminología como IATE ve que es esa la forma en que documentan los términos; es un buen ejemplo (aunque es una base de datos que contiene sus errores, así que no todos los términos son fiables).

Le quisiera mandar esta nota como sugerencia, no sólo para usted, sino para invitar a toda la comunidad de traductores de aportar y completar esta documentación. Aportando entre todos, tal vez logremos crear una base de datos de terminología que se convierta en herramienta útil.

Siempre le agradezco su amable atención y su disposición a compartir. No dude a contactarme si tiene alguna pregunta también.

Saludos cordiales,
Uta

Dr. Uta Lausberg de Morales
Linguistic Services

5. Legal terminology: "allegedly"

5. Allegedly
(adverb) claimed or stated to be so or true.
"He was allegedly involved in some illegal deals."
Synonyms
reputedly: "The property is reputedly owned by a foundation based in Switzerland."
Antonyms
definitively: "It was definitively established that the contract had been entered into under duress."

Other forms of the word
allegation (noun) - a statement claimed to be true. "The plaintiff's allegation is that the defendant failed to deliver the goods in a timely fashion."
allege (verb) - to claim that something is true. "The prosecutor alleged that the CEO had engaged in insider trading."

Miembro de la Asociación Guatemalteca de Intérpretes y Traductores –AGIT-
Miembro de The USA National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators –NAJIT-


CONFERENCIAS NOVIEMBRE

1. “Términos: …therein, herein, wherein, hereafter, hereinafter, whereupon.... en contexto legal”
Expositor: Julio César Muñoz S.
 Significado primario
 Significado y uso en contexto legal
 Función sintáctica dentro de una proposición u oración.
 Equivalentes en terminología legal en español

Fecha: MIERCOLES 5 DE NOVIEMBRE, 2008
Mañana: 9:00 a 10:30 hrs. / Tarde: 17:45 a 19:15 hrs.
Inversión: Q125.00 (Incluye material).

2. “Criterio y técnicas de Investigación de Fuentes Terminológicas en Internet para el Traductor”.
Expositor: Julio César Muñoz S.
 Buscadores de buscadores
 Sitios especializados en terminología
 Programas de Informática de Imágenes para localización de términos.
 Sitios académicos de apoyo para la traducción

Fecha: MIERCOLES 12 DE NOVIEMBRE, 2008
Mañana: 9:00 a 10:30 hrs. / Tarde: 17:45 a 19:15 hrs.
Inversión: Q125.00 (Incluye material).


3. “Principios de los Sistemas Jurídicos Anglosajón y Latino que un Traductor debe conocer para mejorar su comprensión y calidad terminológica en una traducción”.
Expositor: Julio César Muñoz S.
 Sistemas Jurídicos Anglosajón y Latino
 Similitudes y diferencias
 El Notary Public frente al Notario
 Ley Modelo Federal del Notariado de EUA que regula la actuación del Notary Public

Fecha: MARTES 18 DE NOVIEMBRE, 2008
Mañana: 9:00 a 10:30 hrs. / Tarde: 17:45 a 19:15 hrs.
Inversión: Q125.00 (Incluye material).


4. “Marco jurídico del Traductor en Guatemala”.
Expositor: Julio César Muñoz S.
 Constitución Política de Guatemala
 Ley del Traductor Jurado de 1879
 Ley del Organismo Judicial
 Daños, perjuicios y delitos que puede cometer

Fecha: MARTES 25 DE NOVIEMBRE, 2008
Mañana: 9:00 a 10:30 hrs. / Tarde: 17:45 a 19:15 hrs.
Inversión: Q125.00 (Incluye material).

Todas las conferencias se realizan en nuestra sede en, Avenida Reforma 12-01 zona 10, Of. 1-16, Edificio Reforma Mantúfar
Cupo limitado

Puede reservar su espacio mediante depósito en cuenta monetaria TRADPROF No. 065-617931-1 del Banco Industrial e informarnos por teléfono o correo electrónico para confirmar su asistencia.

TRADPROF Centro de Capacitación de Traductores
Avenida Reforma 12-01 zona 10, Oficina 1-16
Planta baja, Edificio Reforma Montúfar
Tel. 2331-7719. administraciontradprof@gmail.com

Legal terminology "confer"

Confer
(verb) to present
"The university conferred more degrees this year than ever before."
Synonym
grant: "The Constitution grants certain powers to the president and certain powers to the legislature."
Other uses of the word
Confer is also a verb meaning to deliberate together or consult. "The attorney conferred with her client."
The word conference is the noun form of this verb. "The conference was held on 11 May 2006."

Meatpacker involved with Guatemalan illegal immigrants is fined nearly $10 million

Meatpacker Is Fined Nearly $10 Million
By Julia Preston
The New York Times
Published: October 29, 2008

State labor authorities levied nearly $10 million in fines Wednesday for wage violations at an Iowa meatpacking plant where nearly 400 illegal immigrant workers were arrested in a raid in May. The fines against Agriprocessors Inc., one of the country's largest kosher meatpackers, were the largest wage violations penalties ever levied in Iowa, state officials said. About $9.6 million of the fines were for illegal paycheck deductions the company made for protective jackets and other uniforms that packinghouse
workers were required to wear. Iowa inspectors found 96,436 deductions for uniforms from the paychecks of 2,001 workers, and brought fines of $100 per incident. The workers' wages had been reduced by $192,597, Iowa officials said. "You cannot legally deduct for clothing required by the company," said Kerry Koonce, a spokeswoman for Iowa Workforce Development, the state's labor department.
Agriprocessors was also fined $339,700 for illegally deducting more than $72,000 from the paychecks of 1,073 workers for "sales tax." The company also failed to give final paychecks to 42 workers arrested in the raid and owes $264,786.45 in back wages, Iowa officials said. The fines cover violations from January 2006 through June of this year, including six weeks after May 12, when immigration authorities arrested 389 workers at the Postville plant, illegal immigrants from Guatemala.
"Once again, Agriprocessors has demonstrated a complete disregard for Iowa law," Iowa's labor commissioner, Dave Neil, said in a statement. Last month the Iowa attorney general brought criminal charges against Agriprocessors for more than 9,300 misdemeanor child labor violations, involving 32 under-age workers. According to those charges, the company hired workers as young as 13 and put them to work using saws, knives and other equipment prohibited for young workers.
Agriprocessors' chief executive, Bernard Feldman, said the company would fight the charges. "We have grave doubts as to the appropriateness of the claimed violations, and we also take issue with the intended sanction imposed per claim," said Mr. Feldman, who was named to his post in September, after the child labor indictments were announced.
Also on Wednesday, a human resources manager from the Postville plant pleaded guilty in federal court in Cedar Rapids to harboring illegal immigrants and identity theft. The manager, Laura Althouse, 38, helped illegal immigrant workers obtain false resident visa numbers so they Could be hired at the plant, according to her plea. The charge of identity theft carries a mandatory two-year minimum prison sentence. Ms. Althouse also faces a maximum sentence of 12 years on the harboring charge and fines of up to $500,000. Another human resources manager, Karina Freund, faces similar charges. Ms. Althouse is the first Agriprocessors manager to be convicted on the identity theft charge, which was also brought against many workers. In plea
bargains, more than 200 immigrants pleaded guilty to lesser charges of document fraud. Most finished serving their sentences of five months in prison earlier this month, and were deported.
No federal charges have been brought against senior managers and owners of Agriprocessors. The owner, Aaron Rubashkin, and his son Sholom, the top manager of the plant at the time of the raid, have been indicted in the child labor case.

¿Horario de 12 horas a.m - p.m. o de 24 horas en la redacción?

Muchas gracias por mantenerme al tanto de la terminología legal. Quiero disculparme pues no he podido responder sus correos, pero le quiero comentar que he estado indispuesta por algún tiempo.

Pero aprovechando su correo, tengo una duda sobre la hora tanto de español a inglés, y visceversa, pues en terminología legal, acá utilizamos el reloj de 24 horas, mientras que en inglés se utiliza el de 12, en general. Por ejemplo: Si en un documento me dicen "por cédula entregada a las 12:00 en punto" debo poner "by order delivered at twelve p.m. or twelve a.m."?. He buscado este dato en internet y parece que aún no se ha estandarizado lo referente a las 12 en punto. ¿Podría usted darme sus comentarios?

Agradezco su atención.

Carmela Franco*

*Nombre ficticio

Legal terminology: "amend"

Amend
(verb) to change or revise a law or contract.
"After the victim had died from the stab wounds inflicted by the defendant, the prosecutor amended the indictment, which had charged the defendant with assault, to charge him with murder."
Synonyms
modify: "The parties modified the contract by changing the rates and delivery times."
alter: "There was no evidence to show that the contract had been altered as alleged by the plaintiff."
Other forms of the word
amendment (noun) the change made to a law or contract. "The 26th amendment to the US Constitution set the voting age at 18."
Common phrases
to amend a statute - to change a law. "The legislature decided to amend the privacy protection statute to prohibit disclosure of marital status."
to amend a complaint - to change the substance of the initial pleading filed in a lawsuit. "The plaintiff amended his complaint to include income lost as a result of the accident."
Related words
amends (noun) - redress for a wrong or injury. "A person who has committed a crime has a legal duty to make amends to her victim."

Legal terminology

Disclose

(verb) to make known, to reveal.

"During the litigation process, parties disclose information by means of the discovery process."

Synonyms

reveal: "The stock market crash revealed certain weaknesses built into the system."

divulge: "The court found that the reporter's decision not to divulge her sources constituted contempt of court."

Antonyms

conceal: "It is a violation of tax laws to conceal income."

Other forms of the word

disclosure: the act of disclosing. "The disclosure that the Prime Minister had significant investments in several major defense contractors led to calls for her resignation."

Common phrases

fail to disclose: "The seller failed to disclose defects in the foundation of the house."

authorized to disclose: "A doctor is not authorized to disclose health information about a patient to any third party."

risk of disclosure: "Whenever information is shared with a third party, the risk of disclosure increases dramatically."

Related words and concepts

disseminate (verb) - to spread information. "Unfortunately, the Internet's role as a media outlet has encouraged people to disseminate not only facts, but rumors as well."

Legal terminology

Appropriate (adjective) suitable, proper "This type of security is not appropriate for non-residents." Synonym(s) befitting, pertinent: "His vulgar language was not befitting a judge." Antonym(s) unsuitable: "Wearing shorts in a courtroom is unsuitable." Other forms of the word appropriate (verb): to take without permission or seize. "She appropriated all of the profits for herself." appropriate (verb): to allocate or set aside for use. "The legislature appropriated funds to combat violence against women." Notes etymology: Late Latin: appropriare to take possession of, from ad to, for + proprius one's own John Locke is quoted as having said: It is not at all times easy to find words appropriate to express our ideas.

FELICIDADES HOY 30 DE SEPTIEMBRE EN EL DIA INTERNACIONAL DEL TRADUCTOR

International Translation Day 30 September 2008 International Translation Day is celebrated on 30 September. This date was chosen because it is St. Jerome’s Day and St. Jerome, the Bible translator, has always been considered the patron saint of translators and interpreters.

Conferencias por el Día del Traductor en Guatemala

TRADPROF Centro de Capacitación de Traductores.

Miembro de la Asociación Guatemalteca de Intérpretes y Traductores –AGIT-
Miembro de The USA National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators –NAJIT-

le invita al:

DESAYUNO CONFERENCIA - 30 DE SEPTIEMBRE - DIA INTERNACIONAL DEL TRADUCTOR

1. “La interpretación simultánea, consecutiva, de corte y de escolta.
Nuevas tendencias en Guatemala”.

Expositora: Carolyn Minera Robinson
 Habilidades personales para ser intérprete
 Diferencias entre un intérprete y un traductor
 Modos de interpretación
 La interpretación y el significado de un discurso

2. “Principios legales, Ley del Traductor Jurado y legislación conexa que regula la actividad traductora en Guatemala; responsabilidad administrativa, civil y penal.”

Expositor: Julio César Muñoz S.
 Marco jurídico que regula a la traducción en Guatemala
 Análisis de la Ley del Traductor Jurado emitida en 1879
 Análisis legal del ejercicio de la Traducción en el 2008.
 Responsabilidad legal del traductor en el ejercicio de su profesión

Fecha: 30 de septiembre, 2008
Hora: 9:00 a 12:00 hrs.
Lugar: Restaurante Los Cebollines (12 calle y 3ª. Avenida zona 10)
Inversión: Q240 antes del 30 de septiembre, Q275 el día del evento. (Incluye desayuno, material, estacionamiento y propina)
Cupo limitado

Puede reservar su espacio mediante depósito en cuenta monetarios TRADPROF No. 065-617931-1 del Banco Industrial e infórmenos por teléfono o correo electrónico para confirmar su asistencia.

TRADPROF Centro de Capacitación de Traductores
Avenida Reforma 12-01 zona 10, Oficina 1-16
Planta baja, Edificio Reforma Montúfar
Tel. 2331-7719. administraciontradprof@gmail.com

Arto. 11o., Ley del Organismo Judicial

¿Qué comentario merece el análisis del artículo 11o. de la Ley del Organismo Judicial para la actividad traductora en Guatemala?

Conflict between audio recording and transcript in a legal case translation.

September 4, 2008


Judge orders new translation of murder suspect's interview

WEB EXTRA

By Brian Shane
Staff Writer
SNOW HILL — A Spanish-language transcript of an alleged murder confession didn’t match up with its audio recording in Worcester County Circuit Court, and now state prosecutors are on the hook to bring the judge a corrected version, likely postponing the October trial date.
Because sections of the audio did not match or were omitted from the transcript as prepared by State Police, Judge Theodore Eschenburg continued the defense’s motion to suppress the confession until Oct. 1, when the trial is scheduled to start.
“I’m sure everybody wants an accurate transcript, and I will not rule on this without one,” he said, adding, “Wow. This one is a little bit unusual.”

Fifty-six-year-old Cecilia Dea Parker was found stabbed to death in her Mystic Harbor home April 22. State Police investigators said Roberto Antonio Murillo, her across-the-street neighbor and sometimes landscaper, confessed to the crime hours later during a Spanish-language interview. Police said Murillo allegedly killed Parker over disputed payment for completed yard work.

Murillo, 28, is a Honduran native who illegally emigrated to Worcester County in 2005, leaving behind a wife and two children, court documents show. In court, he wore his black hair cropped short and sported a thin mustache. He was dressed in a gray pin-striped suit with a dark necktie, wearing ankle bracelets bound by a metal chain.

Wednesday marked Murillo’s first court appearance in this case. When sheriff’s deputies ushered him into court, he nearly stopped in his tracks, eyes wide. Across the courtroom, relatives of the deceased sat up in their gallery pews to get their first live look at the defendant.

Defense attorney Scott Collins said his client had not signed any waiver agreeing to speak to police on the record without an attorney present. Collins also contends that Murillo had asked for a lawyer before State Police questioned him.

“The way the officer asked the question in the transcript, he simply asked: Do you want a lawyer? Do you want to talk? Mr. Murillo’s answer was yes. Well, which question was he answering? The trooper did not inquire, the trooper simply went into his interrogation. To me, if you’re asked two questions, you generally answer the first one,” Collins said.

Trooper Alberto Vazquez, the Puerto Rico native who interviewed Murillo, testified that he moved forward with his Spanish-language interrogation after Murillo signaled that he didn’t need a lawyer — with a shrug, not by speaking aloud.

“He wanted to talk,” Vazquez said. “It was clear that he wanted to talk, and the whole time he was talking,” adding that he simply told Murillo “just to be honest.”

When the transcript wasn’t explicit enough in its meaning, prosecutors offered to play the audio of the confession — and it was soon obvious that what was on the tape wasn’t what ended up in the transcript.

Once the audio was translated to English on the fly by a court interpreter, Eschenburg ordered the State’s Attorney’s office to prepare a new, accurate transcript using an outside agent.

Through the transcript was prepared and submitted by State Police, the burden falls on the State’s Attorney, according to Collins.

“The state is responsible if they are saying my client, Mr. Murillo, confessed to the police, they’ve got to tell me what he said,” he said. “Right now, what they’ve given me isn’t apparently what my client said, and isn’t what the state trooper said. It’s just a very poorly-done transcript.”

Earlier, Judge Eschenburg denied a motion by Collins to dismiss the case based on the States Attorney’s office using a Spanish-speaking attorney to translate for Murillo, who speaks no English. The role is usually reserved for an unbiased court-appointed interpreter.

Worcester State’s Attorney Joel Todd said the Spanish-speaking Pam Correa, an Assistant State’s Attorney, was called in “because they couldn’t find anybody else to translate” from local law enforcement agencies.

Eschenburg dismissed the motion, saying, “She interviewed him. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

Correa testified that Joel Todd called her personally, asking that she translate. She testified that when she translated for Murillo, he was not yet a suspect, just the man investigators believed was the last person to see Parker alive.

Investigators fed her questions in English to ask Murillo during what ended up being nearly a five-hour interview. Correa added that she and Murillo had difficulty understanding each other based on their varying Spanish dialects, and because “he mumbled a lot,” she noted.

Aportes para la mejora del examen oficial de Traductor Jurado.

Publicamos un importante mensaje que nos recuerda de lo que permanentemente adolece el proceso de aprobación del examen de Traductor Jurado en Guatemala; en mi experiencia de haber sido terna examinadora durante cinco años (2000 - 2005) siempre admití que este procedimiento puede llegar a ser inquisitivo y arbitrario ya que no está reglamentado técnica ni integralmente por lo que se carece de lineamientos, normas claras y específicas para el mismo sobre evaluación; hasta donde tengo entendido, ha habido muchas buenas intenciones de proponer mejoras a este procedimiento de parte de traductoras que han pertenecido a ternas pero tales iniciativas no han fructificado. Invito a que comentemos, con respeto a las personas que hayan alguna vez integrado una terna y con ánimo de contribuir a la mejora sobre este procedimiento mediante la propuesta de soluciones.

"Estimado licenciado:
Es un gusto saber que usted tiene una academia tan bonita y más que todo que ha ayudado a muchas personas a aprender más. Yo perdí mi examen de traducción y quisiera que publicara en su blog qué se puede hacer para evitar tantas contrariedades entre las ternas. Hay muchas cosas que se están haciendo que violan completamente la ley. Tal vez por medio de su Blog podemos recibír alguna ayuda o comentarios de otros traductores para que pasen una ley donde se especifíque lo que una terna debe de hacer y los procedimientos a seguir.

Saludos,

Adelaida"

Translation for non-English speakers a high demand in the courtroom.

Translating for non-English speakers a high-demand role in the courtroom

Kris Wernowsky
kwernowsky@pnj.com


Court interpreter Susan Taylor translates for
Adriano Souza in Judge Nick Geeker's courtroom.
(Gary McCracken/gmccracken@pnj.com)

Adriano Souza, in court on theft and drug-possession charges, doesn't speak English.
He leaned over to his court-appointed translator, Susan Taylor, who repeated in Portuguese, Souza's native language, the judge's instruction that he fill out an application for a public defender.
"I really like what I do, to be able to interpret for people who need your help," Taylor said later. "They are in a different country with different rules."
As the number of non-English-speaking defendants has risen over the past several years, so has the need for translators.
In the 1st Judicial Circuit — Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties — the cases that required translators increased from 1,399 in the 2004-05 fiscal year to 3,006 in 2007-2008.
The cost for the last fiscal year: $68,260.
The local court system employs 30 translators in various languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Polish and American Sign Language. The Spanish translators are most in demand, said Taylor, who also speaks Spanish and German.
The translators take an oath to translate the proceedings for the defendant verbatim. They must remain impartial, not embellishing or cleaning up language.
"Court interpretation is a difficult skill," said Eddie Wehmeier, a Pensacola native who learned to speak Spanish while working on a humanitarian dental project in Honduras several years ago and wanted to keep up his newly learned skills.
"It requires extreme concentration. You pretty much have to be on your game at all times," he said.
A changing program
The State of Florida has moved gradually over the past several years to a formal translator program. For years, courts used people with reputations as good translators or, in some cases, even defendants' family members.
In 1998, the courts adopted a formal training and testing program, but participation was voluntary. In 2006, the Florida Supreme Court established standards for qualification, certification, ethical conduct and discipline.
"What certification provides is a statewide mandate that was lacking," said Lisa Bell, who oversees translation programs the for the Office of the State Courts Administrator in Tallahassee. "It was a voluntary process that many interpreters did not avail themselves to."
In July, the state court system began phasing in a statewide certification process for translators.
Requirements
Courts now are required to use either certified or duly qualified interpreters whenever available. If such a person is not available, a judge can appoint a translator.
A duly qualified interpreter is defined as someone who has passed a state-issued written exam, attended a two-day orientation program and has a basic understanding of legal terminology in both languages. Certified translators, the highest standard, also pass a rigorous oral exam.
Certified interpreters here are paid $50 for the first hour and $40 for each subsequent hour. Duly qualified interpreters get $10 less an hour.
Those who have neither distinction but meet the court's requirements are paid $35 the first hour and $25 every hour after that.
'A great team
So far, the 1st Judicial Circuit has only one certified translator and two who are duly qualified, said Debi Rimmer, who administers translators locally.
Nevertheless, Rimmer said, "We have a great team here, and I have to say they approach their profession very seriously. I never have to deal with no-shows or unprofessional behavior."

Una iniciativa de como cooperarse entre traductores.... ¿podemos hacer lo mismo entre nosotros en Guatemala?

Estimado Sr. Muñoz,

Su nombre lo obtuve por ser miembro y estar suscrita a la lista, de NAJIT. Me acaban de preguntar si conozco un intérprete capaz de interpretar en Mam, así sea por teléfono. Sabe Ud. acaso de alguien aqui en los EEUU o en el mismo Guatemala?

Gracias de antemano por tomarse la molestia de responder a este correo electrónico.

Saludos,
Doris Caspani

Doris Caspani
Certified Interpreter
KY and TN State Courts
Tel.: (859) 268 1815
Cell: (859) 948 9817
Fax: (859) 402 2981
English/Spanish/German/French

Nebraska sees shortage of Translators and Interpreters.

http://www.nebraska.tv/Global/story.asp?S=8741547

Nebraska Sees Shortage of Translators and Interpreters

Posted: July 26, 2008 11:26 PM
Updated: July 26, 2008 11:59 PM

Nebraska meat packing plants draw in hundreds of refugees and immigrants looking for work. Many don't speak English. With more than 40 languages spoken in Nebraska the need for interpreters in the courtroom has never been higher.

Certified Court Interpreter Bob Roos said, "We have 21 certified interpreters who are working in the state and we probably need twice that many. Plus there are now more languages in Nebraska to interpret.
When there is no one available to interpret a case, someone might have to be flown in. This can be very expensive. One New Yorker has helped to fill the gap in Omaha and Lincoln over the years. Court Interpreter Javier Soler said, "Often they were last minute requests. We need you here by the morning. Certainly Nebraska has a shortage of interpreters, as does the rest of the country."

The courts aren't the only ones in need of interpreters. The medical field needs them too. St. Francis Hospital in Grand Island has five interpreters, but some local clinics have none. That can be life threatening. Candy Houdek, Manager of Interpreting Services at St. Francis Hospital talks about the dangers, "If you don't have someone there to communicate the doctor doesn't know if the patient is allergic to any medications."
With more than 75,000 refugees coming to the United States each year the need for interpreters is only going to increase. Janet Bonet of Nebraska Association for Translators and Interpreters said, "People deserve the right to be understood in medical systems and the
courts.

Intérprete de Corte en EUA deja su imparcialidad y opina sobre redadas que involucran a inmigrantes guatemaltecos.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080724/NEWS/80724039

Congress panel hears debate on Postville raid

JANE NORMAN • jnorman@dmreg.com • July 24, 2008

Washington, D.C. – The judicial proceedings following the Postville
immigration raid demonstrated “a grave distortion in the legal structure
of government” in which immigrant workers’ rights were denied, a court
interpreter told a congressional subcommittee today.

Erik Camayd-Freixas, a certified Spanish interpreter who served in Iowa
for two weeks, stepped outside of his usual role as an impartial officer
of the court to harshly criticize the way in which immigrants arrested May
12 at the Agriprocessors plant were treated.

Camayd-Freixas said that guilty pleas were obtained under duress, the
defendants did not know what a Social Security number was and were not
guilty of “intent” crimes, and there was inadequate access to lawyers.

He said it is his opinion as an educator that due to the immigrants’ lack
of schooling and low rate of literacy – many are from poor villages in
Guatemala — most had a level of conceptual and abstract understanding
equal to that of a third-grader or less.

He said that “proud working mothers” were “branded like cattle with the
scarlet letter of an ankle monitor, dehumanized and reduced to begging at
the doors of the church” when they were released on humanitarian grounds.

“I saw the Bill of Rights denied and democratic values threatened by the
breakdown of checks and balances,” said Camayd-Freixas, a professor of
Spanish at Florida International University who wrote and distributed a
15-page essay on his experiences and was featured on the front page of the
New York Times.

But a Department of Justice official defended the process, and said that
Immigration and Customs Enforcement for years had been gathering
information that the majority of the kosher meat processing facility’s
employees were in the country illegally. More than 70 percent of those
detained were using fraudulent Social Security documents, she said.

“These were not victimless crimes,” said Deborah Rhodes, senior associate
deputy attorney general.

In booking, “the atmosphere was calm and orderly,” Rhodes said, and no
constitutional rights were violated in the courtroom. The detainees had
access to phones, hot meals were served by a local caterer and public
health officials were on site, she said.

Marcy Foreman, director of the Office of Investigations for ICE, said
workplace actions target employers who “adopt a business model of
employing and exploiting undocumented workers.”

The agency used a humanitarian approach at Postville and took
“extraordinary care,” said Foreman, who added that as a Jewish person she
strongly objected to the use of the term “concentration camp” used by one
critic to describe the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo where
detainees were held. “I equate that to the murder of millions of
individuals,” she said.

Some 389 workers were detained in the nation’s largest immigration raid.

The nearly all-day hearing was before the House Judiciary Committee’s
subcommittee on immigration. The chairwoman, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.,
said that “the information suggests that the people were rounded up,
herded into a cattle arena, prodded down a cattle chute, coerced into
guilty pleas and then to federal prison.”

She said there were 17 defendants for each lawyer, group hearings, scripts
that instructed lawyers what to say in court and limited time for lawyers
to meet defendants. “Just like a cattle auction,” Lofgren said.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., characterized
the arrests as “brutal” and “there’s a spirit of meanness that seems to
undergird this massive raid.”

But Rep. Steve King, a Kiron Republican and the top member of the GOP on
the subcommittee, said those who had obtained false documents to work at
Agriprocessors had committed a crime that affected real people, and each
was represented by a criminal defense attorney.

“For far too many years, employers have gotten the message that they can
hire illegal immigrant workers with few or no consequences,” said King.
“ICE worksite enforcement actions like the one in Postville put those
employers, and the illegal workers themselves, on notice that if they
choose to violate the law, they are subject to prosecution.”

He also said that “I don’t know if the tone of this hearing encourages
enforcement of the law” and could be “intimidating” to immigration agents.

Lora Costner, of Newport, Tenn., told the subcommittee about how she and
her husband were victims of identity theft when two illegal immigrants –
not connected with Postville — began using their Social Security numbers.
“I have to fight every day to prove who I am,” said Costner, at one point
breaking into tears.

El adjetivo calificativo. Aproximación teórica.

El adjetivo calificativo. Aproximación teórica.
(21.07.2005) -

Teoría general sobre el adjetivo calificativo que contempla su definición desde varios puntos de vista y da una visión
general de esta categoría.

EL ADJETIVO CALIFICATIVO.

Concepto.- Es una categoría gramatical que se puede definir desde diferentes puntos de vista.
- Semántico .- Indica las cualidades de un nombre. Se divide en : especificativos y explicativos.
- Sintáctico .- El adjetivo actúa como complemento del sustantivo. Puede realizar esta función de dos maneras:
- Directamente como adyacente. P.e. Un buen vino.
- A través de la cópula, como atributo. El vino es bueno.
- Formal .- El adjetivo consta de lexema y morfemas. Estos morfemas pueden ser de las siguientes clases:
Morfemas flexivos (género y número) con los que concuerdan con el sustantivo al que complementa. P.e. calles
anchas
Morfemas de grado, tienen sentido apreciativo y son importantes por su valor estilístico, especialmente el diminutivo. P.e.
animales pequeñ -itos, pequeñ-illos, pequeñ -icos.
Lexema: pequeñ-
Morfema de grado: -it- ; -ill-; -ic-
Morfema de género: -o
Morfema de número: -s Adjetivos de una terminación y de dos terminaciones.-
Formalmente distinguimos entre adjetivos invariables o de una terminación y adjetivos de dos terminaciones.
o Los adjetivos invariables o de una sola terminación presentan una sola forma para el masculino y femenino: azul, feliz,
despampanante, valiente
o Los adjetivos de dos terminaciones presentan variación en el género: loco/a, calvo/a, rojo/a Los grados del adjetivo .-
Nos referimos a la mayor o menor intensidad de significación con la que el adjetivo expresa la cualidad: bueno, muy
bueno, bastante bueno, buenísimo, etc.
Los grados del adjetivo son tres:
Positivo. La cualidad no presenta modificación alguna. Un jinete valiente Comparativo. El adjetivo se compara de tres
formas:
1. Superioridad. Un jinete más valiente que....
2. Igualdad . Un jinete tan valiente como...
3. Inferioridad. Un jinete menos valiente que... Superlativo. La cualidad aparece en el grado máximo de intensidad.
Distinguimos entre superlativo relativo y superlativo absoluto:
- Relativo: Expresa el grado máximo dentro de un grupo. El jinete más intrépido de la comarca. El jinete menos
intrépido de la comarca.
- Absoluto: Expresa el grado máximo sin establecer relaciones. Se intensifica por medio de adverbios o sufijos: un
jinete muy valiente; un jinete siempre valiente (adverbio + adjetivo); valient-ísimo ( adjetivo + sufijo);
Hay superlativos absolutos que terminan en – érrimo. Esta terminación afecta a algunos adjetivos cultos que proceden de
adjetivos latinos acabados en –er
LATÍN
ESPAÑOL
Liber
http://lenguayliteratura.org/mb - Proyecto Aula. Lengua y Literatura en internet Powered by Mambo Generated: 13 September, 2005, 00:33
Celeber
Pauper
Miser
Pulcher
Libérrimo (muy libre)
Celebérrimo (muy célebre)
Paupérrimo (muy pobre)
Misérrimo (muy mísero)
Pulquérrimo (muy pulcro)

Hay adjetivos con formas especiales:
POSITIVO
COMPARATIVO
SUPERLATIVO
Bueno
Malo
Grande
Pequeño
Mejor
Peor
Mayor
Menor
Óptimo
Pésimo
Máximo
Mínimo
Adjetivos especificativos y explicativos. El epíteto.-
El adjetivo calificativo puede ir antepuesto o pospuesto al nombre, según la intención del hablante.
- Especificativo.- Como norma general puede decirse que el adjetivo calificativo restringe la significación del sustantivo
cuando se pospone al sustantivo. El zapato grande. Grande es un adjetivo calificativo especificativo y expresa una
cualidad necesaria para la correcta interpretación de la oración.
- Explicativo.- El calificativo que resalta una cualidad del sustantivo y que no es necesario para la comprensión
significativa de la oración recibe el nombre de adjetivo explicativo. Su fin es ornamental y puede anteponerse o
posponerse.
P.e. La alta cumbre. El extenso bosque. El labio, colgante, se contraía.
El adjetivo explicativo recibe el nombre de epíteto: Algunos no aportan nada nuevo, ya que la cualidad es intrínseca al
http://lenguayliteratura.org/mb - Proyecto Aula. Lengua y Literatura en internet Powered by Mambo Generated: 13 September, 2005, 00:33
propio nombre: P.e. nieve blanca, verde hierba

Evento internacional de traducción e interpretación

Announcement: HITA (Houston Interpreters and Translators Association)

The Houston Interpreters and Translators Association
is pleased to announce the following
Upcoming HITA Events


Friday; July 25 HITA Networking Event
Join us for another exciting round of networking with other HITA members and their guests. Bring lots of business cards and a desire to make new friends and expand your social network!

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Champps Americana , 1211 Uptown Park Blvd., Houston Texas 77056

No admission charge; HITA membership not required.
HITA Networking Events are held on the last Friday of each month.
Monday, August 11 HITA social meeting
Come unwind after a busy Monday. This is a very relaxed, informal way to get to know other members of the association!

Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Oporto Café , 3833 Richmond Ave., Houston TX 77027.

No admission charge; HITA membership not required.
HITA Social Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of each month.
Saturday, September 6 HITA Quarterly Meeting
Join us at Rice University for our quarterly meeting. This quarter, our meeting will feature a new member orientation as well as the first in a series of workshops on additional ways to use your skill set and continue to grow as a professional. This month, we will focus on the practice of transcription.
Transcription is the conversion of spoken language into written form. Interpreters and translators may be called upon to transcribe and translate anything from a courtroom hearing to a surveillance tape. Mr. Carillo's presentation will cover the transcription process from start to finish and an overview of NAJIT's Tape transcription project. Tips on best practices and common pitfalls will be included. Rafael Carrillo is federally certified and licensed in Texas, and is a member of NAJIT, ATA, and EPITA. He was a staff interpreter for the federal court in the Western District of Texas, and is currently employed as a staff interpreter in the District of New Mexico. He has 12 years of experience interpreting and translating for federal, state, and administrative courts and has been a consultant and expert witness for numerous government agencies. Additionally, Mr. Carrillo has participated in international conferences on international cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico. M
r. Carrillo is a member of NAJIT's Transcription & Translation Project

Agenda:

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. New Member Orientation
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast & Networking
9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Opening & Introduction
9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Transcription presentation
10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Transcription (continued)
11:45 - Noon Closing and Door Prizes



Location: Rice University in Sewell Hall (use entrance 2) - 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
No admission charge; Parking is $1 for ever 17.5 minutes (credit cards only).


Friday, September 26 International Translation Day Celebration
Join us for the largest International Translation Day celebration in the country! This year, the celebration will kick-off the International Translation Day Conference weekend.

Time: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: The Black Swan at the Omni Houston Hotel - 4 Riverway; Houston, TX 77056
Music by: The Groovemeisters , featuring Ramon del Villar

No admission charge; Cash Bar; Hors d'oeuvre courtesy of The Black Swan.
Saturday, September 27 International Translation Day Conference
Experts speakers will present on specialized terminology used in Criminal Law, Immigration, Offshore Oil & Gas, Workers Compensation, Health Services, and Special Education.

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: United Way Community Resource Center, 50 Waugh Drive; Houston TX 77007
Registration is now open!

To view the conference website, click here. (coming soon)
To view the conference brochure, click here.

¿Traduzco el listado completo o no?

Buenas tardes licenciado Muñoz, un gusto saludarle.

Le agradeceré que si es posible me de su opinion respecto de unos certificados de libre venta que tengo para traducir.

Los mismos están acopañados por listados de productos. Dichos listados son muy extensos (75 hojas cada uno) y al cliente únicamente le interesan dos o tres productos de los de dichos listados por lo que me propuso no traducirlos, únicamente enumerar los productos de su interés e indicar que los mismos aparecen dentro del listado. Ahora mi pregunta es: ¿Es esto correcto o tengo que traducir los listados completos?

Disculpe la molestia y agradezco su ayuda.

Artículo de formación "Translation and Interpretation - Restoration in context"

Compartimos el siguiente articulo, espero complemente nuestra formación para comprender mejor el significado en contexto de cada término. Cualquier comentario u opinión es bienvenido.


"PROTEUS ---- THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF JUDICIARY INTERPRETERS AND TRANSLATORS --

TRANSLATION and INTERPRETATION as RESTORATION of CONTEXT

Marina Braun

Communication is likely to get disrupted when words are taken out of context. Context is a concept that belongs as much to the sphere of linguistic and psycholin¬guistic research as it does to everyday commu¬nication. A layperson may not know the types of context that linguists single out for analysis, but people intuitively know that context is essential for successful communication.
A translator or interpreter, however, cannot rely on a vague, intuitive understanding of context. A firm grasp of the concept is criti¬cal both to ensure correct decoding of the received message in the source language and its accurate encoding in the target language.
One type of context, for example, is known as linguistic context. The interpreter needs to be aware of how the elements of linguistic context are interconnected, as illustrated in the following sentences:

(1) I’ll mark it as exhibit 2.

(2) Nobody did.

Both examples illustrate the use of the so-called cohesive factors that serve to bind sentences together to achieve cohesion, which makes a text a text rather than a random sequence of sentences (Halliday & Hasan). The pronoun it stands for something referred to earlier in the discourse. (For example, “I want you to take a look at this document. I’ll mark it as exhibit 2.”) The verb did substitutes a verb in the past tense used earlier. (For example, “I didn’t believe him. Nobody did.”)
An interpreter needs to be aware of how the elements of the linguistic context are inter¬connected and to be familiar with cohesive factors in both languages, since they may vary from language to language. For example, the Russian language does not provide for the type of substitution illustrated above (“Nobody did.”) Instead, it requires a repetition of the verb, “Nobody believed.”
The above examples deal with structural elements of a linguistic context. The following sentence demonstrates how linguistic context works on the semantic level:

They will certainly hang.

At the first stage of the translation or inter¬pretation process (decoding of the target lan¬guage message), we examine the linguistic (semantic) context in order to resolve ambi¬guity, specifically in order to determine the meaning of a polysemantic word. A layperson is not usually aware of how ambiguous words can be, and how easily ambiguity can lead to misunder¬standing.
The word “hang” is ambiguous. It is only the linguistic context that can help determine whether it is a jury who will hang, unable to come to a unanimous decision, or whether the phrase refers to a number of defendants who will be executed.
Ambiguity can be created deliberately by placing words in unexpected contexts in order to create a pun or play on words that may be used as a rhetorical device. This is extremely common in the language of journal¬ism, politics, and advertising, and is also frequently part of courtroom discourse (for example, a rhetorical device used in opening statements or closing arguments).

The following sentences represent contexts in which ambiguity is used deliberately.

(1) The heat is up in Martha’s kitchen.

(2) Cooking Martha’s goose.

Examples (1) and (2) are magazine headlines alluding to Martha Stewart’s alleged illegal insider-trading activities.
Some translators or interpreters would dismiss the above instances of ambiguity as “untranslatable” and resort to literal renditions. But to do so is to lose a sig¬nificant portion of the information conveyed. Finding an adequate variant in the target language is not easy, especially during simultaneous interpretation, but it is far from impossible, and there is usually more than one way to cope with the problem.
One approach to the problem would be to find poly¬semantic words or word combinations in the target lan¬guage whose meanings, in the given context, will be simi¬larly juxtaposed. Thus, for example, instead of looking for the equivalent of “to cook somebody’s goose” (a play on words, contrasting the literal cooking of a goose with an expression meaning “to get into trouble,” which probably could not be conveyed by a single phrase in the target language) – a search for a contextual equivalent should be conducted. The Martha Stewart example provides for a whole variety of options: one might think not only of the semantic fields of cooking but also sewing, gardening, or home furnishing (since those are also areas of Martha Stewart’s expertise). A possible contextual equivalent in Russian might be Марте-рукодельнице дали по рукам, literally, “Martha, the handiwork queen, got slapped on the hand.” In this way, the semantic context in the source language is restored with the help of the semantic proper¬ties of the target language.

The next examples illustrate a different type of context, known as situational (or extralinguistic, or non-verbal).

(1) No, I don’t need this one. I meant that one.

(2) She threw the book at him.

The term situational or extralinguistic context refers to circumstances external to the discourse, which include the addresser (the encoder of the message), who sends a message to the addressee (the decoder of the message),1 the setting in which communication occurs (usually includes place and time), the topic, the respective social roles or positions of the addresser and addressee, the channel of communication, and the code itself (assuming the code is shared by the encoder and decoder).2
To correctly decode these sentences, the interpreter needs to be aware of several components of the situational context.
In (1), the place and topic of conversation are impor¬tant, especially if the interpreter is not present at the time of this communicative act and not privy to the gestures accompanying the phrases “this one” and “that one.”
In (2), the addressee and the setting are of primary concern. If “she” refers to a judge in the courtroom, the correct decoding of the sentence will be “She gave the defendant the maximum sentence.” (As opposed to a liter¬al rendition in the context of a woman who might conceiv¬ably have thrown a book during a household argument.)
Two other dimensions may be added to the concept of situational context, that of the interlocutors’ common knowledge and understanding of the circumstances (frequently called shared [background] knowledge) and common evaluation of the circumstances.
If we view situational context as a structure, in which all the above-mentioned components are connected in a certain way, we can say that the target language provides us with a different set of building materials to be used to restore the original structure. This is what the translator’s or inter¬preter’s task at the encoding stage is. The interpreter’s final product in the target language should reflect the linguistic characteristics of each component: addresser, addressee, their respective social and/or gender roles, and others.
It is restoration, rather than preservation, that I advocate, because by encoding the message into the target language, the intepreter restores the balance that existed among the components of the situational context in the source lan¬guage.
For example, there are no pronoun markers in English to indicate different social status, such as that of a judge in relation to an adult defendant. In languages which dis¬tinguish between a formal and a familiar “you”, however, as is the case in Russian, Spanish, French, or German, an interpreter will use the formal pronoun if a judge is addressing an adult defendant directly. Conversely, if a judge addresses a juvenile defendant, the interpreter may opt for the informal “you” (in Russian, for sure).
The next type of context is cultural context. Situational context, as we discussed above, can help the addresser and addressee communicate by providing “common knowledge and understanding of the circumstances” or “shared knowledge of the circumstances” and “a spatial purview common to them” (Bakhtin). However, if people come from two different cultures, they are separated by a lack of shared knowledge that no situational context can compensate for.
In semiotics, culture is seen as a system of shared signs or symbols, which the following examples illustrate.


(1) He was a straight A student.

According to Umberto Eco, “From a semiotic point of view [meaning] can only be a cultural unit… Recognition of the presence of these cultural units (which are therefore the meaning to which the code makes the system of sign-vehicles correspond) involves understanding language as a social phenomenon.” From this perspective, the meaning of the sign “A” in the word combination “A student” is a cultural unit that exists in present-day American culture. It is part of a system of six cultural units (expressed by letters A to F) that the culture uses for grading students’ perfor¬mance. The corresponding system in many other cultures consists of five cultural units (expressed by numbers 5 to 1).
Cultural context, like the other types of contexts we discussed earlier, should be understood as a system, whose elements are interconnected and exist in a state of balance. Dealing with it at the decoding stage, the transla¬tor, instead of tackling the word “A” (in “A student”) as an isolated entity, will analyze it within the cultural context it is an element of. Those cultural units will then be jux¬taposed with the cultural units of the corresponding sys¬tem in the target language in order to establish cultural equivalency.
Dealing with “culture laden” words or word combina¬tions has traditionally been considered one of the biggest challenges in translation. As is the case with puns, such instances are frequently labeled “untranslatable.” One of the arguments given in support of this view is that the average bilingual dictionary does not list them. The other argument is that the target language simply lacks “the concept” expressed by the word in question. Indeed, it is extremely rare that there is a one-to-one equivalence between words and concepts in two different languages. The key to this challenge, it seems, is to adopt a cultural unit, rather than a word, as a unit of translation or inter¬pretation, and to consider restoration of cultural context, rather than verbatim translation, as the goal.
The example is straightforward in this respect (“He was an A student” would correspond, in Russian, to “He got only ‘fives’ in school”). As for the other letter grades, “C” through “F,” the interpreter needs to take into account the whole cultural context, since there is no one-to-one correspondence.

Other challenges of cultural context can be seen in the following newspaper headline:

(2) Boston’s Cardinal Law Felled by Revolt, Scandal.
At first sight, it appears that the article is about an important (cardinal) law that evoked protests in Boston. In reality, the text is about a particular cardinal from Boston, whose name is Law, the scandal surrounding his handling of alleged sexual misconduct by priests, and his resignation in the aftermath of that scandal.
“Revolt” also allows for several interpretations, one of which is “insurrection” or “rebellion.” This meaning would definitely be at odds with the cultural context. It is the shared cultural knowledge about a much-publicized scandal, which affected several high-ranking priests in 2002, that is vital for correct decoding of the sentence. Once decoded, the sentence should not pose any difficulty in translation.

Often, cultural context is the greatest challenge for an interpreter, as in the following sentences:

(3) I’m going to try for a home run.

The best you can do is a base hit.

Outside of the baseball or football field, these words and phrases are always used metaphorically. As Lakoff and Johnson point out, “the essence of metaphor is understand¬ing and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another.” In contemporary American culture, the expressions “base hit” and “home run,” if used metaphorically, are under¬stood to mean “success” vs. “extraordinary success” or “to reach a moderate goal” vs. “to reach the highest goal.”
The underlying concept of these two expressions stays the same regardless of the extralinguistic context (address¬er, addressee, place of communication, topic, etc.), but the latter determines the specific language forms in the target language the translator or interpreter would select.
This example is taken from the popular TV show “Law and Order,” from a dialogue between the district attorney and an assistant district attorney. In saying “I’m going to try for a home run,” the latter means that he is going for a murder indictment. His boss, however, thinks that, under the circumstances, manslaughter is the best they can hope for, and expresses that idea by the phrase, “The best you can do is a base hit.”
Obviously, if the same dialogue were to take place in the film world, the attributes of “success” would be different: for example, two Oscar nominations as opposed to just one.
In interlingual communication, recognition that different cultures conceptualize success (and many
other seemingly universal values) differently is essential. Moreover, each culture uses a unique set of metaphors to denote success. Should the translator resort to literal or verbatim transla¬tion of these metaphors, the end result may be nonsensical because of the differences in cultural context. This, in turn, would lead to the breakdown of communication.
To prevent a breakdown in communication, an inter¬preter needs to restore the cultural context by finding an appropriate cultural unit in the target culture. In other words, the interpreter needs to find a similar meaning that the target culture conveys by means of a certain language form. In this case, a metaphoric or an idiomatic expression would, of course, be preferable. If the target language lacks such expressions, the only way to interpret the phrases in the example above would be to eliminate the metaphor and convey the direct meaning of the phrases, “murder” vs. “manslaughter.”
In the professional literature on court interpreting, con¬servation of meaning is considered the interpreter’s main goal. Restoration, addition and modification are words usually treated with suspicion because these concepts are perceived as incompatible with conservation. The idea of restoration of cultural context is effectively rejected as a court interpreter’s tool since it is believed to be tantamount to cultural advocacy or cultural brokerage. While it is true that advocacy does not coincide with an interpreter’s function, restoration of cultural context is quite another matter, as this article has suggested.
Also missing from the publications devoted to court interpreting is the concept of context. It is not even men¬tioned in the index of subjects of the most exhaustive study to date, Fundamentals of Court Interpretation. This sit¬uation is paradoxical given that modern linguistics takes context as a concept of primary importance. I hope that the ideas expressed in this article will stimulate further linguistic discussion of the problem of context.
[A version of this paper was given at NAJIT’s Northwest Regional Conference in 2002. Marina Braun, Ph.D., is a court-certified Russian interpreter in Oregon and Washington and is accredited by the American Translators Association for English-Russian. She also provides training for interpreters and transla¬tors. She can be reached at marinabraun@faenov.com]

REFERENCES
Bakhtin School Papers. (1983) (Russian Poetics in Translation, 10).
Eco, U. (1979). A Theory of Semiotics. Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press.
Gonzalez, R.D., Vasquez, V.E. & Mikkelson, H. (1991). Fundamentals of Court Interpretation. Durham: Carolina Academic Press.
Halliday, M.A.K. & R. Hasan. (1976). Cohesion in English. London: Longman.
Jakobson, Roman. (1960). Closing Statement: Linguistics and Poetics.
In Sebeok, T.(Ed.). Style in Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Lakoff, G. and Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors We Live By. Chicago-London: University of Chicago Press.

FOOTNOTES
1 The terms addresser and addressee were used by Roman Jakobson [2], whose model of communication is considered a major contribution to linguistic theory.
2 Some linguists break it down into smaller units: physical context (objects surrounding communication), social context (relationship between communicants) and epistemic context (information shared by communicants."

Acrónimos

Existen muchos acrónimos en las lenguas, cada vez más, un traductor los encuentra con frecuencia: aka, dba, dob, poa y fka; ¿qué signfican los anteriores acrónimos? ¿podrías compartir tus conocimientos? ---- He copiado un mensaje de una traductora que no pudo entrar por motivos técnicos de informática, este mensaje aparece como el comentario No. 1, Muchas gracias. Ahora ¿alguien nos podría indicar el significado específico de cada acrónimo mencionado dentro de un comentario?

Notariado Latino y Anglosajón.

¿En cuál Estado de E.U.A. prevalece la práctica del Notariado Latino y no el Anglosajón (Common Law) y por qué?

Idioma oficial "español" en Guatemala.

¿Qué texto legal fundamenta que el idioma español es el oficial para el Estado de Guatemala?

Apostille y auténtica

¿Qué diferencia existe entre una apostille y una auténtica como documentos adjuntos al principal proveniente del extranjero?

¿En que caso un traductor anota la frase latina "sic" junto a una palabra?

Te invitamos a compartir sobre el ejercicio profesional de la traducción en Guatemala, no dudes en contribuir ya que tu opinión puede incidir en los que deseamos mejorar nuestra calidad profesional

¿Qué significa "traducción" con tus propias palabras?

¿Qué significa "traducción" con tus propias palabras?